Edema is the medical term for swelling caused by fluid trapped in your body’s tissues. Edema happens most often in your feet, ankles, and legs, but can affect other parts of your body, such as your face, hands and abdomen.
Who does edema affect?
Edema can affect anyone, but the condition most often affects people who are pregnant and adults who are 65 years or older.
How does edema affect my body?
Edema will cause parts of your body to increase in size (swell), which might prevent you from completing your daily tasks. Simple lifestyle changes like elevating the swollen part of your body or moving around if you were sitting or standing for a long period of time can reduce swelling and help you feel better. Sometimes edema is a symptom of an underlying health condition, so contact your healthcare provider if you experience symptoms of edema.
How is edema diagnosed?
Your healthcare provider will give a physical examination to diagnose edema, followed by diagnostic tests to find the cause. They will look for swelling, especially on parts of your body where your skin has a shiny or stretched appearance.
Treatment to reduce swelling
In addition to treating the underlying cause of edema, there are a few steps you can take to keep fluid from building up in your body:
- When you are sitting or lying down, put a pillow under your legs to keep them elevated above the level of your heart.
- Do not sit or stand for long periods without moving or go on short walks.
- Wear support socks, stockings or sleeves, which put pressure on parts of your body to keep fluids from collecting there. Edema shoes are available for people who experience chronic edema and need adjustable footwear for swelling.
- Reduce the amount of salt in your diet.
- Follow your doctor’s directions for taking medications. Your doctor might want you to take a diuretic (commonly called a "water pill"), which helps your body get rid of excess fluid.
ref. to article https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12564-edema
Elizabeth Berson and her father are facing his illness together, and she has penned an article discussing the benefits of Air Relax Plus Compression boots (AR-3.0 Leg Recovery System):
“As a healthy, able-bodied 24-year-old, I'm fortunate enough to consider myself a runner. I started running in 2021 and have since run 3 half-marathons and joined 2 local running clubs. As much as I've enjoyed the mental and physical challenges of running - the best part about it is by far the community.
In truth, my welcome into the running community occurred long before 2021. In fact, it began as early as 1998. At that time, my dad was a dedicated member of a Hashing group - a cross-country style run/social club. As a toddler, my dad would push me in a stroller while he ran through forests, under bridges, across fields, and over all sorts of terrain.
As recently as running became a major part of my adult life, it has forcibly become a part of my Dad's past. In early February, I ran an 8 mile 'Super Bowl Hash' run with my dad by my side. Just a few weeks later, he was diagnosed with Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer.
Though my dad likely won't be running again anytime soon - the mental and physical toughness that running taught him is ever present as he undergoes intense treatment for his illness. Two months into treatment, one of his most challenging side effects became severe edema (fluid buildup) in his legs. He wore medical grade compression socks almost 24/7, even while sleeping, and was tested several times for blood clotting to no avail. His legs were swollen, heavy, and painful all the time and rapidly became a major hindrance to his quality of life.
Enter the running community!
A colleague of my dad's heard about his edema and recommended the Air Relax system as a potential therapy. An avid runner, she swears by them for marathon training and suspected the benefits could be similar for someone suffering from edema.
We purchased the Air Relax 3.0 Leg Recovery System about a month ago and it has quickly become a key tool in our battle against his persistent edema. Though he continues to use other treatments like diuretics and compression stockings, the AR-3.0 system is by far the most comfortable and relaxing way to see quick improvement. Just 15 minutes with the system and the swelling is significantly reduced. The physical effects aren't permanent, but the mental relief from knowing he has an effective treatment on hand has drastically reduced his level of distress.
THANK YOU to Air-Relax for giving us such a powerful management tool to fight edema and for empowering individuals with at-home therapies. And THANK YOU to the athlete community for pushing the human body to its extremes and driving specialized technology innovation.”
By Doug B | amazon customer